Gift box container

ABSTRACT

Stiffened double walled gift boxes are formed from paperboard blanks having main panels and wall panels with inner halves connected by gussets. A stiffener with a central panel and hinged sides half as wide as the side panels is placed in the main panel. Adhesive is applied on inner surfaces of the outer panels. As the wall panels are folded along peripheral edges of the main panel the loose stiffener is aligned by the wall panels. Sides of the stiffener bend with side panels of the box. Gussets are folded and placed inside end walls and are secured by outer end panels secured to inner end panels. Outer side panels are folded inward and adhered on sides of the stiffener, locking the stiffener in place.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Double walled gift boxes are well known. Covers and base boxes areusually formed from relatively flexible paperboard blanks havingdecorative outer surfaces and flat clean inner surfaces. Side and endwalls are folded inward upon themselves to form double walls adheredtogether by adhesives. Inner portions of the walls are connected bycreased gussets, which are folded and tucked into junctions of the endand side walls. Glue strips connect inner and outer portions of thewalls. Folded gussets are held in place by the glue strips. Cutting,folding and gluing equipment is widely available for forming the singleblank double wall boxes.

Reinforcement of the double walled boxes with heavier sheets issometimes useful. When large heavier sheets are added to boxes gluingand alignment of the sheets to which adhesive has been applied becomes aproblem.

Needs exist for improved boxes and methods of construction, which reducedefects while simplifying equipment and processes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new gift box container has a paperboard rectangular box base with asimilar separate cover. A cover or base may have a reinforced insert. Areinforced cover could be used without a reinforced base or a reinforcedbase could be used with a cover or simple over wrap.

The box base and cover are each formed as trays folded from a sheet ofpaperboard. Each sheet has inner and outer surfaces, a main panel andfour flanking panels, one on each edge of the main panel for formingends and sides. The main panel of the cover is slightly larger than themain panel of the base. The flanking panels on the cover areapproximately one half the width of the flanking panels on the boxportion. In consequence, the walls of the cover are about a short way,half the height of the walls of the base. The walls of the cover on theassembled box extend about halfway or completely down the walls of thebase in the assembled and closed configuration.

During or after cutting, the sheets are creased where the four flankingpanels join the main panel. The flanking panels are creased at theirmidlines to form inner and outer halves of side and end panels. Theouter halves later are folded inside the inner halves to form doublethickness walled trays useful as the cover and box base portions.

Webs or gussets connect the inner halves of the sides and ends. The websare creased and partially lanced diagonally for folding and tucking intothe ends when the sides and ends are folded upward.

A heavier stiffening sheet of paperboard equal in size to the main paneland ⅛″ to ¼″ shorter than the width of each of the two flanking sidepanels is inserted in each tray prior to the inward folding of theflanking panels. This heavier sheet is creased, for example, byperforations, bar scores or 50% cut scores to delineate and form thejoint between the sides and the central panel of the stiffening sheet.The stiffening sheets grain may be perpendicular, parallel or at anangle to the grain of the paperboard sheet that forms the walled tray.Parallel adhesive strips are laid on the upper faces of the outer halvesof the side and end panels of the box base or cover tray. The stiffeningsheet is placed on the inner face of the main panel of the cover orbase. The side and end panels of the tray are folded perpendicularly tothe inner face of the main panel, which also folds the side panels ofthe stiffening sheet perpendicular to the inner face of the centralpanel. The stiffening sheet may have creased ends similar to its sidesto fit into and adhere similarly to end panels of the tray formingsheet.

The outer halves of the end panels are folded inward along the midlinecreases and are adhered to the inner halves of the end panels. The outerhalves of the side panels are folded inward at their midline creases andare adhered to the inner faces of the sides of the heavier stiffeningsheet locking it in place. The stiffener sides are held between theinner and outer halves of the side panels. The central panel of thestiffener is held aligned with but not glued to the main panel of thetray.

During the folding operations, the creased gussets are folded alongtheir creases and are tucked inward along ends of inner faces of theinner halves of the end panels. When the outer halves with thepre-applied adhesive strips are folded inward, the adhesive stripscontact the folded gussets as well as the inner faces of inner halves ofthe end panels, fixing the gussets in their tucked positions.

Adhesive holds the inward folded side panels to the inward faces of theinward folded side portions of the heavier sheet. Adhesive is notapplied between the central panel of the heavier sheet and the mainpanel of the tray. In one form, inward folded outer end panels areadhered to folded ends of the stiffener sheet. In an alternative form,adhesive may be applied to between the central panel and the main panel.

These and further and other objects and features of the invention areapparent in the disclosure, which includes the above and ongoing writtenspecification, with the claims and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tray blank for forming box base or cover ascut and creased.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a stiffener for a box base or cover as it iscut and scored.

FIG. 3 is a partially assembled cross-section of the box or cover.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional assembled view of the box base or cover.

FIG. 5 is an assembled view of the gift box container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, as shown in FIG. 5, the new gift boxcontainer 1 has a paperboard rectangular base box 3 with a similarseparate cover 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the base box and cover are each folded from a sheetof paperboard 10. Each sheet has inner and outer surfaces, a main panel11 and four flanking panels 13, 15, one on each edge of the main panel11 for forming ends 19 and sides 17. The flanking panels 13, 15 on thecover 5 are approximately one half the width of the flanking panels onthe box base. In consequence, on the assembled box, the cover extends ashort way, about halfway or completely down the sides of the box base.The four flanking panels 13, 15 are creased 21 and folded along the mainpanel 11 and creased 23 and refolded at their midlines 25 to form doublethickness walls 27 on trays 29 useful as the cover 5 and box 3 portions.

Webs or gussets 31 are diagonally creased 32 and partially lanced andconnect the inner halves 33, 35 of the sides 17 and ends 19. The gussets31 are folded and tucked along the walls of the ends 19 when the sides17 and ends 19 are folded upward.

A heavier sheet of paperboard 40 as shown in FIG. 2 is equal in size tothe main panel 11 plus one half the width of each of the two flankingtray side panels 13. This heavier sheet 40 is 50% cut scored 51 to forma central panel 41 and attached sides 43. The central panel 41 is aboutthe size of the main panel 11 of the tray bottom. Its grain 53 runsperpendicular to the grain 55 of the tray paperboard 10 in a preferredembodiment. Grain 53 may be parallel or at angles. The stiffener sheet41 is inserted on the tray prior to the perpendicular folding of theflanking panels 13, 15. The side and end panels 13, 15 are foldedperpendicular to the main panel 11, which folds the sides 43 of thestiffener 40 and aligns the stiffener central panel 41 precisely betweenthe side and end panels 13, 15 along the main panel 11.

The outer halves 37, 39 of the sides and ends are folded inward over theinner halves 33, 35 of the sides 17 and ends 19 after applying adhesivein parallel strips 61 to the inward-facing surfaces of the outer halves37, 39.

Following the insertion, the outer halves 37 of the side panels 17 arefolded over the sides 43 of the heavier sheet 40, locking it in place.Adhesive 61 holds the inward folded outer halves 37 of side panels 17 tothe inward faces 44 of the inward folded side portions 43 of the heaviersheet and the inward folded outer halves 39 of the end panels 19 to theinward faces of the inner end panels 35 and to the gussets 31 tuckedbetween them. Adhesive is not applied between the central panel 41 ofthe heavier sheet and the main panel 11 of the tray 29.

Alternatively inner faces of the outer side panels 37 may be coated withadhesive and folded over the stiffener sides before the gussets arefolded and tucked inward along inner surfaces of the inner end panels 35while the end panels 19 are folded upward. The outer end panels withapplied adhesives are folded over the inner end panels and the gussets.

The entire box may be formed with conventional cutting, adhesive laying,and folding equipment. The stiffening sheet is cut and scored in asingle operation and is placed in a single step. The initialperpendicular folding of the ends and sides insures precise alignment ofthe stiffener. No special provision is required for the precise aligningof detached parts when they are juxtaposed or are glued in place. Noseparate requirements for special aligning, placing, and bonding stepsare present.

The bending of the sides along scores in the stiffening sheetautomatically aligns and precisely positions the central panel of thestiffening sheet with respect to the main panel of the tray sheet as theside and end panels of the tray sheet are bent upward. The stiffeningsheet is automatically locked in position by the inward folding andgluing of the outer side panel halves which would otherwise contact theinner surfaces of the inner side panel halves of a double walled boxtray.

Savings result from no increases in steps to handle the outer sheet whenforming a double walled tray and no requirements to spread adhesive overthe large main panel of the tray-forming sheet. Further increasedsavings result from not requiring precision placement equipment foraligning two large panels after gluing. The invention has the addedadvantage of reducing rejects from misaligned glued panels. Speed ofproduction may be increased by the elimination of need for precisealignment before adhering large panels. Additional savings result fromreduction of adhesive requirements, elimination of added adhesiverequirements, and elimination of precision aligning and positioningequipment. The look and feel of the finished box may be enhanced by notrequiring adhesive under the main panels.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, modifications and variations of the invention may beconstructed without departing from the scope of the invention, which isdefined in the following claims.

1. A double-walled gift box apparatus comprising a base box and coverformed as double-walled trays, at least one tray having walls and astiffening sheet secured to the tray, the tray being formed from a trayforming sheet having a main panel with peripheral edges and side panelsand end panels extending from the edges of the main panel for formingthe walls of the tray, the stiffening sheet having a central panel andsides connected to the central panel, the central panel being positionedin contact and aligned with the main panel of the tray forming sheet,the sides of the stiffening sheet being in contact and aligned with theside panels of the tray forming sheet, the side panels and end panels ofthe tray forming sheet having folds spaced from and parallel to theedges of the main panel and forming inner side panels and outer sidepanels and inner end panels and outer end panels, the outer end panelsbeing folded and adhered in portion, and the outer side panels beingfolded over and adhered to the sides of the stiffening sheet forsecuring the stiffening sheet to the tray.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the stiffening sheet further has ends hinged to the main paneland wherein the outer end panels are folded over and adhered to innersurfaces of the ends of the stiffening sheet.
 3. The apparatus of claim1, wherein both the cover and base box have stiffening sheets.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising creased gussets connecting theinner side panels and the inner end panels; when folded, the gussetsbeing tucked into spaces between the outer and inner end panels, andbeing locked in place by adhesive applied to inward facing surfaces ofthe outer end panels.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the outerside and end panels have strips of adhesive applied to their innersurfaces prior to folding the outer end panels on the inner end panels,the strips of adhesive on the inner surfaces of the outer side panelscontacting and adhering to inner surfaces of the sides of the stiffeningsheet.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the side and end panels ofthe base and cover are equal in length, forming a square box.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the main, side and end panels of the baseand cover form a rectangular box.
 8. A fabrication method for adouble-walled gift box comprising forming a base box and cover asdouble-walled trays, forming at least one tray with walls, providing astiffening sheet with sides on the tray, forming the tray from a trayforming sheet having a main panel with peripheral edges and side panelsand end panels extending from the edges of the main panel and formingthe walls of the tray by adhering the side panels of the tray to thesides of the stiffening sheet, folding inward and adhering outer halvesof the end panels.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprisingproviding the stiffening sheet with creased ends and folding the endsbetween outer and inner halves of the end panels and adhering the outerhalves of the end panels to inner surfaces of the ends.
 10. The methodof claim 8, wherein the securing of the stiffening sheet compriseshinging the sides to the central panel, positioning the central panel incontact with the main panel, aligning the central panel with the mainpanel of the tray-forming sheet, while folding and contacting the sidesof the stiffening sheet with the side panel, and aligning the end edgesof the stiffening sheet with the end panels of the tray forming sheet.11. The method of claim 8, wherein the forming of the tray comprisesforming the side panels and the end panels of the tray with the trayforming sheet having folds spaced from and parallel to the edges of themain panel, the folds forming inner side panels and outer side panelsand inner end panels and outer end panels, folding and adhering theouter end panels on the inner end panels, folding the outer side panelsover the sides of the stiffening sheet and adhering the outer sidepanels to the sides of the stiffening sheet for securing the stiffeningsheet to the tray.
 12. A double-walled gift box apparatus comprising abase box formed as a double-walled tray, the tray having walls and astiffening sheet secured to the tray, the tray being formed from a trayforming sheet having a main panel with peripheral edges and side panelsand end panels extending from the edges of the main panel for formingthe walls of the tray, the stiffening sheet having a central panel andsides connected to the central panel, the central panel being positionedin contact and aligned with the main panel of the tray forming sheet,the sides of the stiffening sheet being in contact and aligned with theside panels of the tray forming sheet, the side panels and end panels ofthe tray forming sheet having folds spaced from and parallel to theedges of the main panel and forming inner side panels and outer sidepanels and inner end panels and outer end panels, the outer end panelsbeing folded inward and adhered, and the outer side panels being foldedover and adhered to the sides of the stiffening sheet for securing thestiffening sheet to the tray.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein thestiffening sheet further has ends hinged to the main panel and whereinthe outer end panels are folded over and adhered to inner surfaces ofthe ends of the stiffening sheet.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, furthercomprising creased gussets connecting the inner side panels and theinner end panels; when folded, the gussets being tucked into spacesbetween the outer and inner end panels, and being locked in place byadhesive applied to inward facing surfaces of the end panels.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the outer side and end panels have stripsof adhesive applied to inner surfaces prior to folding the outer endpanels on the inner end panels, the strips of adhesive on the innersurfaces of the outer side panels contacting and adhering to innersurfaces of the sides of the stiffening sheet.
 16. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein the side and end panels are equal in length, forming asquare box.
 17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the main, side andend panels of the base and cover form a rectangular box.
 18. Afabrication method for a double-walled gift box comprising forming a boxas a double-walled tray, providing a stiffening sheet with sides on thetray, forming the tray from a tray forming sheet having a main panelwith peripheral edges and side panels and end panels extending from theedges of the main panel and forming the walls of the tray by adheringthe side panels of the tray to the sides of the stiffening sheet andfolding inward and adhering outer halves of the end panels.
 19. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the securing of the stiffening sheetcomprises bringing the sides to the central panel, positioning thecentral panel in contact with the main panel, aligning the central panelwith the main panel of the tray-forming sheet, while folding andcontacting the sides of the stiffening sheet with the side panel, andaligning the stiffening sheet with the end panels of the tray formingsheet.
 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing thestiffening sheet with creased ends and folding the ends between outerand inner halves of the end panels and adhering the outer halves of theend panels to inner surfaces of the ends.
 21. The method of claim 18,wherein the forming of the tray comprises forming side panels and endpanels of the tray with a sheet having folds spaced from and parallel tothe edges of the main panel, the folds forming inner side panels andouter side panels and inner end panels and outer end panels, folding andadhering the outer end panels on the inner end panels, folding the outerside panels over the sides of the stiffening sheet and adhering theouter side panels to the sides of the stiffening sheet for securing thestiffening sheet to the tray.